Scale Degree Ear Trainer
Learn to hear and sing scale degrees in major and minor keys.
Start PracticeHow This Scale Degree Trainer Works
This trainer helps you hear music in terms of scale degrees: the 2nd, the 3rd, the 5th, and so on. A backing drone establishes a key, and you learn to hear where each scale degree sits within it.
There are two types of practice:
- Identification: a note is played over a drone track in a key. You identify which scale degree it is.
- Singing: you're given a scale degree and sing it over the drone. The app uses pitch recognition to check your answer.
You can choose which scale degrees to focus on and whether to practice in major keys, minor keys, or both. Start with a few degrees and add more as your ear develops.
Two ways to practice
There are two ways to use this trainer:
Why This Scale Degree Trainer Is Different
Most ear trainers have you listen to two notes and name the distance between them. But that's not how you actually hear music. When you listen to a melody, you hear where notes sit in the key, whether something sounds like 'home' or like it wants to resolve. Scale degree training builds that sense of tonal gravity that makes everything click. If you want to know more, check out this article.
Like our interval ear trainer, this includes singing, not just recognition. Singing forces active recall, because you have to produce the sound, not just identify it. That's a much deeper skill, and it accelerates your ear development significantly.
Why I built this trainer
Scale degree hearing is a skill that helps you with playing by ear, improvising confidently, and understanding why songs sound the way they do. Most guitarists never train this directly. I built this trainer so you can develop that inner hearing deliberately, one degree at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this free?
You can start practising right away for free, no account needed. Pick your scale degrees and go.
What are scale degrees?
Scale degrees are the numbered notes within a key. In the key of C major, D is the 2nd degree, E is the 3rd, G is the 5th, and so on. Learning to hear these by ear is what lets you play melodies without tabs, improvise over chord changes, and understand why certain notes sound 'right' over certain chords.
Do I need to be able to sing?
Not at all. These exercises are not about sounding good, or even about sounding decent. The point is to train your ears and singing exercises are really helpful with that. You can hum as well if you prefer!
Does this work on my phone?
Yes. The trainer works on phones, tablets, and computers. You'll need your sound on (or headphones) since this is an ear training exercise.
Does the app record my singing?
No. The audio stays on your device and isn't recorded, saved or sent anywhere.